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constant_reader_19's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. A good story. The characters were likable and the plot was interesting.
claudia_marcela's review
3.0
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the autor and We ♥ YA Books! for this opportunity.
Rory has been living in a new city for a couple of months, and he can't stop thinking about his old town, Nashville, where Christopher, his best friend, still lives. But then he gets a call from Christopher's mom telling him about Christopher's death. Now he has to come back to his old town and face the most painful thing he has ever experienced.
The protagonist, Rory, has to write the eulogy, but he doesn't know how and he doesn't even like to speak in public.
While reading, I felt like the whole book was an eulogy or a tribute to Christopher at least. He was an skateboarder, a punk, a friend, a boy. But above all that, he was a boy whose life ended too soon. And we get to know him through the eyes of his friends, and his family. He was not perfect, but he touched everyone's life in a way or another, and maybe Rory didn't even get to know him that well. This book is hard to review because of that, there are no cliffhangers nor dramatic plot twists (well, maybe just one). It's a story that feels real, maybe too real. This book is about a boy who can't understand why his best friend had to die, and how he learns to accept that hard truth and begins to face the future without cling on the past.
If you are up to read a touching story about friendship and grief, with a little of self-discovery, this is definitely your book.
The Best
I really liked the quotes at the beginning of every chapter, they were very accurate. Also, the story could broke your heart, but when you finish the reading, it gives you an important lesson about the things that really matter in life.
The least Best
Every time a character is introduced, Rory gives us a ton of information about him/her. The name, appearance, likes and dislikes, stuff about their family, and so many other things that feel off when you read them. It sorta disrupts the narration. I think that amount of information was unnecessary.
The Quote
There are a lot of quotes I'd like to mention here, but I'll put only the three more 'shocking'.
You were the only one who understood me. You accepted me for who I was. i never said thank you for that. Is it too late for that? I guess so
I thought about life and wondered where Christopher went. Did he go to heaven? Was his sould drifting about watching us? What were his days filled with now? Did he have wings? was he at peace? Did he already know all this stuff I was telling him? Was he answering all my questions, but I just couldn't hear him?
Nothing is complicated, only created in our mind what is complicated.
Rory has been living in a new city for a couple of months, and he can't stop thinking about his old town, Nashville, where Christopher, his best friend, still lives. But then he gets a call from Christopher's mom telling him about Christopher's death. Now he has to come back to his old town and face the most painful thing he has ever experienced.
The protagonist, Rory, has to write the eulogy, but he doesn't know how and he doesn't even like to speak in public.
While reading, I felt like the whole book was an eulogy or a tribute to Christopher at least. He was an skateboarder, a punk, a friend, a boy. But above all that, he was a boy whose life ended too soon. And we get to know him through the eyes of his friends, and his family. He was not perfect, but he touched everyone's life in a way or another, and maybe Rory didn't even get to know him that well. This book is hard to review because of that, there are no cliffhangers nor dramatic plot twists (well, maybe just one). It's a story that feels real, maybe too real. This book is about a boy who can't understand why his best friend had to die, and how he learns to accept that hard truth and begins to face the future without cling on the past.
If you are up to read a touching story about friendship and grief, with a little of self-discovery, this is definitely your book.
The Best
I really liked the quotes at the beginning of every chapter, they were very accurate. Also, the story could broke your heart, but when you finish the reading, it gives you an important lesson about the things that really matter in life.
The least Best
Every time a character is introduced, Rory gives us a ton of information about him/her. The name, appearance, likes and dislikes, stuff about their family, and so many other things that feel off when you read them. It sorta disrupts the narration. I think that amount of information was unnecessary.
The Quote
There are a lot of quotes I'd like to mention here, but I'll put only the three more 'shocking'.
You were the only one who understood me. You accepted me for who I was. i never said thank you for that. Is it too late for that? I guess so
I thought about life and wondered where Christopher went. Did he go to heaven? Was his sould drifting about watching us? What were his days filled with now? Did he have wings? was he at peace? Did he already know all this stuff I was telling him? Was he answering all my questions, but I just couldn't hear him?
Nothing is complicated, only created in our mind what is complicated.
malvord27's review against another edition
3.0
This book is pretty sad but I think it does a good job of capturing the emotions that you go through when someone you love dies.
lifeandliterature's review against another edition
4.0
"Some people's lives are like an epilogue."
Rory can't believe it when he receives a phone call to tell him that his best friend Christopher has been killed. How is that possible? He was so young. He had so much life in front of him. If the prospect of burying your best friend isn't hard enough to deal with, Rory has been asked to deliver the eulogy at Christopher's funeral. Over the course of the weekend Rory faces the constant struggle of what he's going to say.
For the first portion of the book I felt a bit of a disconnection to Christopher. And I think that's because we never get to meet Christopher in life, only in death. But then the group of friends get together and start to share stories that they each have of Christopher. It was then that I got a true understanding of the wonderful young man that he was. On the surface, he was someone who had it all together. He was kind, thoughtful and respectful. His care and concern for others was a beautiful thing. He was selfless and always seemed to be putting others first. Things hadn't always been easy for Christopher, so I think he had a wonderful empathy for others.
"I mean it was instant. We had an instant connection, like brothers, like we already knew each other. It was just safe. It was awesome.
He made me the person I am today."
The friendships amongst the group was wonderful. What started out being about music and good times flowed into something much more as they each dealt with their grief. A group of friends doing the best that they can to deal with the loss of a mate and support each other through it.
There was also a little romance for Rory in the story. He has always had a bit of a crush on Christopher's sister and is a little surprised to learn that his feelings could quite possibly be returned. It was also great that the two characters had each other to lean on during such difficult times.
One of the things that I could really identify with throughout this story was all the references to music and the punk scene. I wasn't necessarily a punk in my school days, but I was different to everyone else in my school because of the music I listened to and the clothes that I wore. Even to this day, I am the odd one amongst my friends because I still embrace those differences.
I felt that the pacing of the story and the flow of the authors writing definitely picked up in the second half of the book and that's when I enjoyed the story the most. But that was also the saddest to read. But I felt a much greater connection to the characters during that period as well.
3.75/5 Sad, Touching Stars
Rory can't believe it when he receives a phone call to tell him that his best friend Christopher has been killed. How is that possible? He was so young. He had so much life in front of him. If the prospect of burying your best friend isn't hard enough to deal with, Rory has been asked to deliver the eulogy at Christopher's funeral. Over the course of the weekend Rory faces the constant struggle of what he's going to say.
For the first portion of the book I felt a bit of a disconnection to Christopher. And I think that's because we never get to meet Christopher in life, only in death. But then the group of friends get together and start to share stories that they each have of Christopher. It was then that I got a true understanding of the wonderful young man that he was. On the surface, he was someone who had it all together. He was kind, thoughtful and respectful. His care and concern for others was a beautiful thing. He was selfless and always seemed to be putting others first. Things hadn't always been easy for Christopher, so I think he had a wonderful empathy for others.
"I mean it was instant. We had an instant connection, like brothers, like we already knew each other. It was just safe. It was awesome.
He made me the person I am today."
The friendships amongst the group was wonderful. What started out being about music and good times flowed into something much more as they each dealt with their grief. A group of friends doing the best that they can to deal with the loss of a mate and support each other through it.
There was also a little romance for Rory in the story. He has always had a bit of a crush on Christopher's sister and is a little surprised to learn that his feelings could quite possibly be returned. It was also great that the two characters had each other to lean on during such difficult times.
One of the things that I could really identify with throughout this story was all the references to music and the punk scene. I wasn't necessarily a punk in my school days, but I was different to everyone else in my school because of the music I listened to and the clothes that I wore. Even to this day, I am the odd one amongst my friends because I still embrace those differences.
I felt that the pacing of the story and the flow of the authors writing definitely picked up in the second half of the book and that's when I enjoyed the story the most. But that was also the saddest to read. But I felt a much greater connection to the characters during that period as well.
3.75/5 Sad, Touching Stars
heathershectichideaway's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book however I do not see any resemblance between this book and TFIOS. I was looking for this book to be more like TFIOS than anything. The characters memories was definitely the favorite part of the book for me. The dialogue was very confusing and pieced together in an odd way. So with that being said I wasn't terribly impressed with this book but I enjoyed the concept.
cpcabaniss's review against another edition
3.0
This book is told in a memoir style, which was actually really great. We get to see inside Rory's head as he copes with the loss of his best friend and struggles trying to write the perfect eulogy.
The best thing about this book was being in Rory's head and hearing his thoughts about the past, the future, and general self analysis. I found these times to be the best in the book and really enjoyed the reflective quality behind them.
We also get to see some of the memories Rory and his friends made with Christopher (the best friend who died) and how they all gain new perspectives of his life. It was also interesting to see how Christopher's friends and family reacted to his death and how it happened.
The main thing I did not like about this novel was the dialogue. Alone in Rory's head, the writing was great. The dialogue, on the other hand, could use some more polishing. I felt like the smooth style kind of fell apart. I think I would have preferred to be in Rory's head all the time.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel. It was an interesting style and there was a lot of interesting things that happened. The author handled the reactions of the friends and family beautifully. It's always hard to lose someone you love and sometimes that can be hard to convey, I thought it was done brilliantly here.
The best thing about this book was being in Rory's head and hearing his thoughts about the past, the future, and general self analysis. I found these times to be the best in the book and really enjoyed the reflective quality behind them.
We also get to see some of the memories Rory and his friends made with Christopher (the best friend who died) and how they all gain new perspectives of his life. It was also interesting to see how Christopher's friends and family reacted to his death and how it happened.
The main thing I did not like about this novel was the dialogue. Alone in Rory's head, the writing was great. The dialogue, on the other hand, could use some more polishing. I felt like the smooth style kind of fell apart. I think I would have preferred to be in Rory's head all the time.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel. It was an interesting style and there was a lot of interesting things that happened. The author handled the reactions of the friends and family beautifully. It's always hard to lose someone you love and sometimes that can be hard to convey, I thought it was done brilliantly here.
pinkzebrareads's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book however I do not see any resemblance between this book and TFIOS. I was looking for this book to be more like TFIOS than anything. The characters memories was definitely the favorite part of the book for me. The dialogue was very confusing and pieced together in an odd way. So with that being said I wasn't terribly impressed with this book but I enjoyed the concept.
fangirlarya's review
5.0
~I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review~
My actual rating is a 4.5 but I rate up for Goodreads!
My Thoughts
The B-side Diaries is a Faux-memoir told from Rory’s perspective on dealing with his best friends Christopher’s death. The story starts with Rory receiving a call from Christopher’s mother about his passing and being asked to write the eulogy for her. This book is about growing up, trying to understand life, memories, and music.
I loved this book! God, everything about this book struck a cord for me and I love that!
I really liked the story and message in this book. I really connected with this book on a personal level and I think everyone will. The focus of this book is about being a confused teen and for the first time having to deal with something that changed us forever.
In the beginning it was hard to appreciate Christopher like all of the characters in the book did. Maybe that was because we never met Christopher in the book. That was until Rory and his friends told stories about him and my appreciations and feelings for Christopher grew and I mourned his lost with them.
Music is such an important part of this book and I love that! Music conveys so much emotion and feels and ii helped to connect us to the characters through their love of music. Brian Joyce also used real music in here. So you can look up the songs and listen to it while the characters are as well. It helped enhance the scenes and I found some new music to listen to!
One problem I had was the way the main sometimes talked. He was so poetic in some scenes. Keeping in mind that he is only seventeen it was weird to hear some of the things he said. They were a little to perfect especially in the middle of a conversations. That being said there are amazing quote worthy moments all around in this book.
Also I loved the Eulogy that Rory did. It was absolutely perfect and I agree one hundred percent with what he said.
I loved this and will for sure be looking out for more books by Brian Joyce in the future!
~Quotes~
“It’s funny how books can change you. You open up a book and one minute you are who you’ve always been, then you read some random passage and you become someone else”
“Now I understand that the only true constant in life was that there is always change, and that change cannot be stopped, however much we would like to stop it”
“I guess what’s most important is that we chose to live with our hearts open and to let our experiences show us the way towards our brightest days. We may have gotten lost, or found, we may have become down-and-out, but at least we could say that we had lived, and that we had chose to exist through what made us feel alive. In the end we should all be so lucky to have lived so well”
For more reviews by me check out my blog AryaTheFangirl
My actual rating is a 4.5 but I rate up for Goodreads!
My Thoughts
The B-side Diaries is a Faux-memoir told from Rory’s perspective on dealing with his best friends Christopher’s death. The story starts with Rory receiving a call from Christopher’s mother about his passing and being asked to write the eulogy for her. This book is about growing up, trying to understand life, memories, and music.
I loved this book! God, everything about this book struck a cord for me and I love that!
I really liked the story and message in this book. I really connected with this book on a personal level and I think everyone will. The focus of this book is about being a confused teen and for the first time having to deal with something that changed us forever.
In the beginning it was hard to appreciate Christopher like all of the characters in the book did. Maybe that was because we never met Christopher in the book. That was until Rory and his friends told stories about him and my appreciations and feelings for Christopher grew and I mourned his lost with them.
Music is such an important part of this book and I love that! Music conveys so much emotion and feels and ii helped to connect us to the characters through their love of music. Brian Joyce also used real music in here. So you can look up the songs and listen to it while the characters are as well. It helped enhance the scenes and I found some new music to listen to!
One problem I had was the way the main sometimes talked. He was so poetic in some scenes. Keeping in mind that he is only seventeen it was weird to hear some of the things he said. They were a little to perfect especially in the middle of a conversations. That being said there are amazing quote worthy moments all around in this book.
Also I loved the Eulogy that Rory did. It was absolutely perfect and I agree one hundred percent with what he said.
I loved this and will for sure be looking out for more books by Brian Joyce in the future!
~Quotes~
“It’s funny how books can change you. You open up a book and one minute you are who you’ve always been, then you read some random passage and you become someone else”
“Now I understand that the only true constant in life was that there is always change, and that change cannot be stopped, however much we would like to stop it”
“I guess what’s most important is that we chose to live with our hearts open and to let our experiences show us the way towards our brightest days. We may have gotten lost, or found, we may have become down-and-out, but at least we could say that we had lived, and that we had chose to exist through what made us feel alive. In the end we should all be so lucky to have lived so well”
For more reviews by me check out my blog AryaTheFangirl
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